Hot take: a cheap anvil will cost you more in the long run

Picked up a $50 cast iron anvil off Craigslist last year and it started chipping after my third project. Spent twice that on a proper steel one and haven't looked back. Anyone else deal with a bad anvil purchase?

2 comments

2 Comments

ruby_jones1mo ago

Funny you mention garage sales, but the real killer with those cheap cast iron anvils isn't even the chipping. It's the rebound. I tried forging a simple knife on a friend's cheap cast iron one and the hammer just thudded into the metal with almost no bounce back. Took me twice as many heats to move the same amount of steel compared to my steel anvil. That wasted time and propane adds up fast if you do this more than once a month. Plus the ringing sound was awful, like a cracked bell every time you struck. Character is one thing, but working harder for worse results is another.

rubyk261mo ago

Oh come on, is it really that big of a deal though? I've been using a beat up cast iron anvil I found at a garage sale for years and it still works fine for what I do. Sure, it's got some dings and chips but that's just character, right? Unless you're out here forging swords for reenactments or something, I don't see why a few chips would ruin your whole setup. Maybe you were just too heavy handed with it or something.